The grand and opulent pace Cudius resided in was inally he "The King's Pace," but he found the name far too ostentatious. Cudius believed that until he achieved some measure of success, it was best to keep a low profile. He didn't want to attradue attention from the Five Elders or, worse, Imu, who he had never seen but knew held great power.

  So, he ged the name of the "The King's Pace" to "Cudius Pace." Cudius knew well he had borrowed the name from the emperors of his past life. Of course, the pace's design and style were still insistent with the name. But for now, this would suffice. Once he had more power, he could make the necessary adjustments.

  In the pace courtyard, Cudius gripped a wooden sword, repeatedly swinging it in powerful, simple movements. After three months of recovery and training, his body had undergoable ges.

  Without the burdens of food or drink, and with access to the best luxuries, bined with regur exercise, Cudius was growing into a striking figure. His physique had improved so much that every few days, he looked noticeably different.

  The soft, chubby appearance he once had was now long gone. His body had returo a healthy, muscur state, with his arms and waist being well-defined. His upper body was bare, and his skin, well cared fleamed uhe sun, looking almost translut without a scar in sight. His long, pale blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Once, Cudius had a somewhat sleazy appearance, but now, his sharp eyebrows and handsome features marked a dramatic transformation. Among the Celestial Dragons, his good looks were rare.

  "More than 20,000 swings, and His Highness is still as steady as ever, without a hint of trembling. He really has a gift for this. Could he truly bee a great swordsman?" muttered a burly middle-aged man nearby. He was wearing a sve colr around his ned watched Cudius's training in awe.

  This man had once been a renowned swordsman at sea before he was captured and ensved. Cudius had discovered him among the sves and immediately hired him as his kendo instructor. The man's task wasn't to teach Cudius any particurly advanced skills his role was simply to guide the practice of the basics.

  Cudius had promised him freedom once he achieved mastery in kendo, a prospect that excited the man so much that he was eager to impart everything he ko Cudius as quickly as possible, hoping to leave Mariejois sooner rather than ter.

  Kendo basics weren't much different from what Cudius had imagihe first step was mastering sword swings—ensuring the bde moved exactly where you intended. If you couldn't trol the sword's dire, how could you hope to cut dopo?

  While simple, this training could beonotonous. Fortunately, Cudius had plenty of time on his hands. His daily routine was banced after sword practice, he focused on physical training using the methods left by Admiral Zephyr. Iernoons, he studied his Devil Fruit abilities. And in the evenings, he dictated his thoughts and pns, with Nia rec them. All in all, Cudius lived a very fulfilling life, even if he rarely left the pace. He never felt as if he was wasting time.

  Nia, standing nearby, listeo the swordsman's words with a sense of pride. "Who do you think His Highness Cudius is? If he wants to bee a great swordsman, he will succeed. There's no doubt about it."

  After boasting about Cudius, she g his chiseled figure, her cheeks flushing slightly. Celestial Dragons usually kept multiple wives—ten or even more. Whether they hem or not, it was expected that wives would be kept in the pace. In the past, Cudius had dohe same, keeping several women in his pace.

  However, after returning from the New World, he had sent all those unfortunate women away, and so far, it didn't seem like he had taken an i in that kind of thing. At least, Nia hadn't heard any rumors of maids sneaking into his bed at night.

  This puzzled Nia. Could it be that Cudius had suffered some hidden injury during his time away?

  Of course, she dared not voice such thoughts. Even though she was now quite close to Cudius, certaiions were off-limits.

  Had Cudius known what Nia was thinking, he likely would've ughed. His predecessor had indeed kept a harem of wives, but they had been more oral than anything else. Being just a spoiled, pudgy boy at the time, the former Cudius hadn't known what to do with them. But because other Celestial Dragons had wives, he had followed suit, indulging in the practice.

  After his return, with his new soul occupying this body, Cudius had felt nothing but disgust at the sight of those women. Feeling guilty for how they had beeed, he had sent them away, allowing them to return to their homes. It was one of the few good deeds he could t.

  Now, Cudius's life was fulfilling. He focused on improving his strength to prepare for the turbulent future. He had no time for meaningless distras. He was also well aware of his age—still too young to risk damaging his body by overindulging. Better to avoid those temptations now, so that when he reached his prime, he wouldn't face physical dee.

  Cudius had heard stories of Celestial Dragons in their 30s and 40s who had turo increasingly perverse behavior. They had "opened up" too early, without moderation, and the resulting decay of their bodies had driven them into a cycle of violend depravity.

  Cudius po avoid that fate. Once he had matured fully, he could find a suitable beauty and enjoy life to the fullest. Besides, with the Zero Hour embedded within his body, the pleasures of life would be endless. There was o rush.

  As Cudius tio practice his sword swings, and Nia got lost in her own thoughts, a loud and arrogant voice echoed from the courtyard entrance.

  "It's been three months! My cousin is supposedly bedridde here I see him practig his sword skills. I thought you were ill! Get out here before I have to kill someone!"

  Cudius stopped mid-swing, smiled helplessly, and looked toward the gate.

  Sure enough, swaggering in with his trademark e sungsses and short blonde hair, was her than Donquixote Dofmingo, his younger cousin. A few servants trailed behind him.

  Dofmingo hadn't visited in a while. The moment he saw Cudius, he excimed, "Cousin, have you grown taller again?"

  Cudius chuckled, tossing his wooden sword to the ground. He walked over to Nia, picked up a towel, and began wiping the sweat off his body. With a smile, he looked at Dofmingo and said, "I'm still growing, Doffy. I'll get taller yet."

  "Really?" Dofmingo tilted his head slightly but quickly moved on. He grabbed Cudius by the belt and said, "Cousin, I'll be leaving Mariejois in a few days. Who knows when I'll be able to hang out with you again? You've beeing long enough. You should e out with me! I heard there's a giant sve in the arena today. They've set up some ferocious beasts to fight him should be fun to watch. You've got to e with me!"

  Cudius paused for a moment, then asked, "You're leaving in a few days?"

  "Yeah, my father says we're heading to North Blue Monday. Lots of people are calling us traitors or something. I don't really get it, but si's my father's idea, I'm sure it'll be fine," Dofmingo replied, nontly.

  Cudius remained silent for a moment. He had a good retionship with Dofmingo, and even though he couldn't stop their family's downfall, he could still support Dofmingo i. In time, it might even be possible to groom Dofmingo into a useful ally, perhaps even a "dark hand" w in the shadows for him.

  With that in mind, Cudius patted Dofmingo on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Doffy. You're my cousin, and no matter what happens, if you run into trouble, just e to me. I'll do everything I to help you."

  "I k! Cousin, you're the only one who's always had my back. While others see me as a traitor, you see me as family," Dofmingo said with a grin.

  "Of course! You're my brother," Cudius replied casually.

  "Then, as my brother, you have to e to the arena with me today," Dofmingo insisted, pulling Cudius along.

  "I know, I know. Give me a moment to ge," Cudius waved his hand, ughing.

  With Nia's help, Cudius quickly dressed, though her he nor Dofmingo wore the typical Celestial Dragon garb no ridiculous bubble hoods or flowing white robes. They walked out as they were, and anyone unfamiliar with them might not have reized them as Celestial Dragons. Fortunately, the rge group of servants trailing behind them marked their atus. After all, no o Celestial Dragons would dare to parade around Mariejois with such disregard for de.

  As they walked, Dofmingo tialking to Cudius. "Since I'm leaving soon, I 't take my sves with me. Why don't I give them all to you, cousin? I still have two mermaid sves they e quite a fortu the sve market."

  "Mermaids?" Cudius raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Well, thank you very much, Doffy."

  Cudius's predecessor had owned plenty of sves, but they had been more for show than for any real use. Most were treated as mounts, a typical pastime for the wasteful Celestial Dragons. But siurning, Cudius had found such practices distasteful. He had already rid himself of the useless ones, either by selling them or passing them on to servants. After all, while he still maintaihe pride of a Celestial Dragon, he had no i in indulging in senseless cruelty.

  Now, only a few sves remained in his household those with practical skills, like the swordsman who trained him.

  With Dofmingo the mermaids, Cudius thought it better to take them under his wing thahem fall into the hands of other depraved Celestial Dragons. At least with him, they wouldn't suffer the same fate.